Saturday, February 11, 2017

Le Sony'r Ra, The Black Man In the Cosmos has been traveling through time and space for 37 years, a not insignificant number, signifying exploring entirely new things, ideas, locations, and methods it enjoys exploring the overlooked nooks and crannies of established things. Particles of star dust have amassed from the supernatural flight of Sun Ra in a stellar fusion creating a Golden Egg, now fallen to earth with a mystic message 'We are OOLALA we bring forth Universal Space Rock and Roll a mystic pillar for the 21st Century. We bring not the answers you seek, but the rhythms to lead you to them.
OOLALA is Rumi Kitchen singer/guitar, Vincent "The Lion" Federici guitar/vocals and Lux Nauta on the drums. Their upcoming album was recorded at their studio near the Sun Ra Arkestra house.
On stage, the earth stands still as Rumi Kitchen descends from the cosmos in a cape with over 800 mirrors on it illuminating the enthralled masses.
In the words of Sun Ra:

"My whole body changed into something else. I could see through myself. And I went up... I wasn't in human form... I landed on a planet that I identified as Saturn... they teleported me and I was down on [a] stage with them. They wanted to talk with me. They had one little antenna on each ear. A little antenna over each eye. They talked to me. They told me to stop [attending college] because there was going to be great trouble in schools... the world was going into complete chaos... I would speak [through music], and the world would listen. That's what they told me"

Our intial communication on the release date of the debut album "The New RockRoll Cosmology" is it's being released by The Giving Groove label out of Philadelphia (sometime in May). You can catch their cosmic shows at Century Bar in South Philly on Feb. 24th and April 1st at Ortlieb's. In May they'll embark on a tour of earthly locations TBA
For a limited time only, ends space date 2017.24.2 the single is available for a smidgeon on stardust (free) at above web portal.

The first transmission is the video for the first single called "Falling Out Of The Universe" we've recently learned from Astronomer's that our long held knowledge the universe is expanding, being pulled they've now discovered a large emptiness of space named the Dipole Repeller is also pushing us through space. And in this new found space of tug-of-war, OOLALA creates gravitational tugs and deviant motions they are spinning on their own axis, creating their own gravitational pull and we are along for the ride. "Falling Out Of The Universe" is an epic anthemic Rocker with the familiarity of our cosmic pull and harnessing the newly discovered push of the Dipole Repeller on our collective star dust. Our galactic orchestra smiles and turns the pages of the sheet music.

Philly Space Travelers will know them from Johnny Showcase & The Mystic Ticket, and Spinning Leaves.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Playboy Manbaby is the contradictory soundtrack to the contemporary life experience. Grimly sarcastic yet youthfully nihilistic music that seems to crash into things with a semi-coherent deliberation that can only be generated by a group of frail but over-caffeinated and eternally anxious young adults. Playboy Manbaby is the theme song to the sentiment “what the fuck am I doing with my life?” Indecisive in both message and genre but never lacking in sheer intensity.

The group hail from Phoenix, Arizona and consist of Robbie Pfeffer (vocals), Chris Hudson (bass), TJ Friga (guitar), David Cosme (trumpet), Chad Dennis (drums), and Austin Rickert (sax). Having been a regional powerhouse for over five years with two previously released cassette albums on their own Rubber Brothers label, these lads have have shared the stage with the likes of: Mike Watt & The Missing Men, King Khan & BBQ Show, King Khan & The Shrines, Rocket From The Crypt, Thee Oh Sees, Cosmonauts, The Spits, Black Flag, The Descendents, The Replacements, The Slackers, Teenage Bottlerocket, amongst countless others.

After having just wrapped up the mastering of their long overdue new LP "Don't Let It Be", these desert area DIY-veterans have just released the first single off the album,"You Can Be A Fascist Too" in honor of the new US President. Singer Robbie Pfeffer explains, "we feel like every societal catastrophe deserves a proper theme song."You Can Be A Fascist Too by Playboy Manbaby On the B side and in their latest music video “I’d Like To Meet Your Parents,” viewers are forced to watch two lovebirds looking to enjoy a night out at a place presumably called Crapriotti’s or La Doo Doo which serves only the best Rasberry Creme Shasta and Spaghetti ala Ketchup.I'd Like To Meet Your Parents by Playboy Manbaby
“We shot this video in my living room and tried to make it a terrible Italian restaurant,” says Playboy frontman Robbie Pfeffer. “I wanted to make a video where the band is playing but aren’t really an important or central part of it. I didn’t tell the guys what the idea was, I just told them to show up at a certain time and then started yelling at them to paint their faces etc. I’m super glad how it turned out and I think everyone did a great job embracing their characters.”

"THIS NIGHT WAS NUTS! We played to a sold out crowd at Valley Bar with our friends Treasure Mammal and Sonoran Chorus. The whole night was surreal. We had costume changes, an intermission, people running around with cameras. I don't think we've ever played a set this long before but somehow the night just went by so fast. This video SERIOUSLY could not have turned out so well without really amazing people helping us. So thank you to Ryan Riggs, James Johnson, Tyler Huffman, Spike Mitchell and everyone at Valley Bar."

Based in a bowl in the mountains (Hita City, Oita prefecture), Anglo-Nipponese trio The Routes play independently over 600 miles south of the Tokyo garage scene.

The Routes have a distinct influence from UK and US 60s music and culture as the name suggests they've followed the right signposts of the past, groovy, Mod with punkatude and heavy on psychedelia weaved like San Fransico flashbacks courtesy of Owsley's punch bowl. A love child of Blues Magoos & 13th Floor Elevators, they also add flashes of Dick Dale surf riffs on the Kinkish 'Worry' and the 'Thousand Forgotten Dreams' which has a killer opening bass line setting up an Eric Burdon worthy rant. The catchy 'Peeling Face' has great Herman's Hermits harmony's and a definite British Invasion influence of the Mods of the early 60's.
The laid back 'In Years Gone By' draws heavy on early Stones Aftermath era, with echo and reverb prominent. 'Oblivious' draws on every trick in their impressive toolkit, with a riff that's an instant hook. The title track 'Perfect Hell' is a hot slow burner that proves, with all the references made above this is a band with it's own identity seeped in garage rock and masters of their craft and ready to take on the world from their remote mountain hideaway.

“In This Perfect Hell” on Dirty Water Records is the fifth album by The Routes, brings you ten original songs. No filler and no covers. From the start, you can tell it’s not going to be your stereotypical garage album. This time The Routes seemed have strayed far from your average garage bands comfort zone. They have stripped everything right down in the playing department, with leader Chris Jack playing pretty much everything apart from the drums. The stripping down seems to have the opposite effect, of creating a huge, thick, heavy wall of sound. The nasty Japanese fuzz pedals, and very simple guitar leads stab through the wall, and stick into your brain. It’s not exactly your typical garage, it’s not exactly psych; it’s not exactly any one thing in particular. Is this a mutant musical manifestation of Chris Jack’s musical taste? One wonders if he opened the floodgates on his musical tastes and just let it all come through."

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

A honky tonk with sawdust and peanut shells on the floor, a jukebox heavy with outlaw country and the warmest beer in any town is conducive to influencing any group of talented musicians to don the shitkickers and toss their hats and worn acoustics into any available space and get twang and dirty. That's the story of these talented outlaws from Detroit and I'm sticking to it. Don't walk, shuffle and grab this album and play this thing loud with an open dance floor and a lady in a Prairie dress.

The 44 Territories are a Detroit-based band, who take their interpretation of Americana music – heartfelt lyricism, twangy guitars and evocative imagery – and marry it to a distinctly Detroit rhythm and drive.

The 44 Territories, consisting of Dan McKernan (guitar/vocals), Erik Pelto (drums), John ‘Wolf’ Abel (bass) and Josh Weddle (guitar), was formed in 2015 as the four collaborated on new material and realized the music they were creating was different than projects they had worked on in the past.
Individually, The 44 Territories come from a variety of backgrounds, each as varied as the guys themselves. McKernan and Pelto spent years playing in the alt-country Desolation Angels. Abel has played with artists as diverse as Tantric, Kenny Olsen, and is a member of Detroit soul artists The Infatuations. Weddle brings his southern rock and blues guitar from a variety of rock and gospel bands.

Last summer and fall, the band went into the acclaimed Rustbelt Studios to record their debut with Producer John Smerek (The Deadstring Brothers, Detroit Cobras, Kenny Tudrick). The resulting EP, Story, showcases songs full of twang and gusto, from the California-country infused "101"

to the southwestern "Blacktop Road" and the driving Outlaw Country of "Getting Even (and Movin’ On)". There’s even a cover of the Talking Heads "Psycho Killer", with an arrangement that would make Waylon Jennings (or Sturgill Simpson) proud.

Monday, January 16, 2017

New York-based Australian chanteuse MAY releases her new single 'Ballerino.' Pulling influences of Nina Simone and Leonard Cohen through a prism of haunted soul, MAY’s heartbreaking vocal soothes before barrelling to a cinematic crescendo.

'Ballerino' is an ode to a Parisian moment lost in time and the struggle to reconcile past and present. Accompanied by a haunting music video featuring a choreographed ballet routine, the dancer's movements mirror the song's beauty and pain, where love and acceptance ultimately triumph.

'Ballerino,' is the first of several songs planned for release in 2017.